


Just Thought You Should Know

by preciousbunnynoiz



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Communication, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Kissing, M/M, Minor Character Death, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, One Shot, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27671831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/preciousbunnynoiz/pseuds/preciousbunnynoiz
Summary: Zuko confesses his love to SokkaWhich is great because Sokka loves him too!Only problem?Zuko is sure Sokka doesn't feel the same and Sokka fucked up and missed his chance to tell him and now he doesn't know what to do
Relationships: Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko, Hakoda & Sokka (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 185





	Just Thought You Should Know

"I'm in love with you."

Sokka froze, his burger halfway to his mouth as he stared at his companion sitting across from him.

"Just so you know." Zuko added before eating a fry.

Sokka's mouth opened and closed a few times.

"...what?" Sokka said finally.

"It's fine." Zuko replied with a half shrug, "I know you don't feel the same. I just thought you should know."

A pickle fell out of Sokka's burger with a plop.

"...I ... _what!?"_

Zuko sighed and slumped back in the hard plastic chair.

"I'm. In. Love. With. You." He intoned slowly.

Sokka finally put down his burger and held up his hands.

"Wait wait wait. You're in love with me?"

"Yes!"

"But you think I don't love you?" 

"Obviously!"

"... _WHY!?"_ Sokka asked loudly, throwing his hands up in the air.

Zuko tilted his head up to examine the cracked ceiling of the McDonald's they were sat in, his hands in his pockets.

"Well you're kind, you're funny, you helped me reconcile with my mom, you are always there for me when I have a panic attack, you come find me when I'm isolating and make me do things like call my therapist and eat a vegetable which is hypocritical of you by the way." Zuko listed casually, "you're brilliant but you're not patronising or arrogant. You're my best friend and I feel happiest when I'm with you. Plus you're hot." 

Sokka did not know what to do with all of that.

"And why don't you think I love you?" He finally managed to squeak out in response. 

"You would have told me." Zuko replied with a shrug, finally dropping down his head to make eye contact.

"Why are you so sure of that?!"

"You tell me stuff." 

"I- that- but-" 

An alarm cut off Sokka's sputtering and Zuko pulled out his phone and cursed before grabbing his bag and standing up.

"I've got to go to class. See you later for movie night?" Zuko said, patting Sokka's shoulder as he nodded blankly in response.

It was only five minutes after Zuko had gone that Sokka realised he had lost his opportunity to clear up the massive misunderstanding and slide half under the sticky table with a groan.

How was he supposed to convince Zuko this was mutual _now!?_

"Oh Sokka. Of course this would happen to you." Suki sighed when Sokka finished recounting his latest crisis from her apartment floor. Toph was curled up on the floor next to Suki's feet laughing hysterically, her arms clutching her stomach as she howled.

Sokka tried to ignore her as he did his best pathetic face to try and elicit sympathy from Suki.

He was unsuccessful.

"I don't know why you're looking at me like that" Suki said as she sat back on the couch and picked up her beer bottle, "This wouldn't have happened if you had just snogged him at the last party like I told you."

"How was I supposed to know he liked me back!" Sokka defended himself.

"Because it's painfully obvious? Fucking hell. How can you be so smart and so fucking clueless? Why does anyone fancy you?" Suki asked before passing Toph a bottle of beer as the smaller woman had finally gotten herself under control.

"You both fancied me!" Sokka's voice cracked as he defended his honour.

"Well I suppose you are hot." Suki conceded, "Still, you didn't get it until I kissed you." 

"Toph's blind so it can't be just my good looks!?" Sokka pointedly ignored that little dig Suki had stuck on at the end 

"You lifted me onto your shoulders without breaking a sweat. I'm a person who knows what they want." Toph said with a shrug, "Besides we're talking about you and Sparky. You were the only one who didn't know he had it bad for you and he's the only one who doesn't know you've got it bad for him." 

"But how do I convince him I _do_ love him back?" Sokka begged.

"Snog him." Toph said.

"Ugh" Sokka fell backwards onto the floor, "Can't you give me some real advice Suki?"

"You came to the only two aro people you know for romantic advice. What did you expect? Grand ideas for how to wine and dine him?" Suki pushed his thigh with her foot.

"Who else was going to ask! Aang and Katara are unfortunately heterosexual and Toph is a chaotic nonbinary gremlin, no offense-"

"None taken."

"-so I didn't expect any help from her. You are literally the only person I can go to for advice! Plus you're the only functional bi that I've met in real life! You gotta help me!" Sokka begged, dragging himself upwards into a sitting position to really give it his all.

Suki sighed again.

"Look if you're not going to do the smart thing and just kiss him already then you're going to have to actually talk to him."

Sokka made a face but he couldn't really argue with that.

"Hey it shouldn't be that hard. You actually do that with Zuko." Toph added with a punch to his arm.

"Ow" Sokka glared at her as he rubbed his shoulder, "Zuko said something like that too, what do you guys mean?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Sokka?" 

"Yes Suki?"

"Get the fuck out of my house."

"Yes ma'am."

  
  


"Dad?" 

"Mhmm?" Hakoda didn't look up from his design table, his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose.

"Dad I need love advice." Sokka admitted in a small voice.

That got Hakoda to look over at Sokka, his eyebrows raised.

"Of course Sokka." Hakoda put down his pencil and turned to face Sokka who sank into a nearby chair.

Sokka leaned forward with his hands tightly clenched in front of him.

"Okay the short version is that Zuko confessed to me." Sokka explained as he stared at the floor.

"Oh that's wond-" Hakoda began before Sokka cut him off.

"He's also convinced I don't feel the same." Sokka's voice was flat.

"... _Ah."_

Sokka finally looked up at his dad.

"What do I do? How do I convince him I love him too? You know how stubborn he can be." 

"I know you won't like this answer but honestly? You just need to talk to him. But it's Zuko, if you can talk to _me_ about this then talking to Zuko will be easy." Hakoda said with a smile.

"That! What does _that_ mean!?" Sokka pointed his finger at his father accusingly.

"What?"

"Everyone keeps saying I talk to Zuko like I don't talk to the rest of you!" Sokka's hand shook a little as he pointed it at his dad.

"Sokka...you don't. Not about serious things." 

Sokka opened his mouth to protest but Hakoda held up his hand and Sokka closed his mouth and slumped in the chair.

"Sokka you dated Suki for six months and she only learned about your mom because _Katara_ told her. Zuko knew enough after a month to be at our front door on the anniversary of your mom's death and you let him spend the day with you in your room." 

"Yeah but-" Sokka started weakly but Hakoda continued on as if he hadn't tried to interject.

"He was the first to know you even needed therapy and helped you tell me about it. And I know he's the only one of your friends besides Aang who knows about Yue and that's just because Aang was around when Yue passed on." 

Sokka didn't say anything and just looked at the ground.

"I just...it's not as easy for me as it is for Katara." Sokka said quietly, "I don't mean to keep everyone out…"

"I know Sokka. No one is judging you for your coping mechanisms." Hakoda said. They'd all been in therapy since Sokka had haltingly brought up the possibility and a painful family discussion had made them realise they could all do with some.

It had helped and now Hakoda felt he could talk with his children a lot better.

"The point is," Hakoda pushed gently, "is that you always found it easier to talk things out with Zuko. I think you know how to tell him deep down. You're just scared." 

Sokka felt his face heat up as he realised his dad was right.

"Okay yeah, I guess." He mumbled.

"You can do this." His dad said, putting a warm hand on his shoulder.

Sokka leaned into the touch and let out a sigh.

"Thanks dad."

Sokka had been sitting in his car outside Zuko's for the last ten minutes, a wooden box on his lap.

For all his assurance to his Dad that he could and would tell Zuko he still didn't feel confident.

Yeah it was true that he was most comfortable being vulnerable with Zuko but that still didn't make it _easy._

Katara tended to share her trauma to try and bond with others but Sokka couldn't do that. 

He was always going to be the person who tried to make a joke, lighten the mood, be the supportive shoulder to cry on.

He had held Aang's hand when Yue had passed in the hospital while the younger boy cried and hadn't shed a tear himself. 

Not because he didn't want to but because he had to be there for Aang.

Just like he had been there for Katara and Dad when mom died. Just like he hadn't told anyone of the bullying he got in highschool when he had Katara, Aang, and Toph to protect.

He knew logically Suki didn't need his protection but he met her too soon after Yue. 

He's gotten over the stage of fretting about physical concerns but he couldn't shake the need to protect her from his fucked up mind.

Zuko from the start was different. 

When they met Sokka had known Zuko wasn't in need of his protection before they had even spoken. He had seen the scar, seen Zuko's eyes which spoke of even deeper trauma, and seen the stubbornness to keep going even if he had to do it alone. 

He'd recognised the eyes of someone who had been through too much too young and he also felt seen.

Later Zuko admitted he'd recognised the same pain and determination in Sokka.

He still wanted to protect Zuko from more harm but it didn't overwhelm him and it felt like nothing Sokka might bring to the table would be too heavy for Zuko to bear.

But none of that made it _easy_ to be vulnerable. Just… less hard.

And this…

Sokka clutched the box tightly to his chest.

This was a big step farther.

But he knew Zuko wouldn't believe him without this.

Sokka took a deep breath and let it out slowly before finally getting out of the car.

Zuko was smiling when he opened the door but that quickly dropped as he took in Sokka being all tense and weird.

"We need to talk." 

Zuko flinched but nodded even as his body language started to mirror Sokka's.

He led them into the living room and sat down on the floor on one side of the low table. Sokka sat across from him and placed the box on the table before sliding it over to Zuko.

"I froze when you confessed and didn't manage to get my brain together to tell you the truth. That I love you too. I know you won't believe me but before you start arguing I need you to open that box." 

Sokka watched as Zuko, his expression kind of angry and kind of pained, closed his mouth before taking a deep breath. His shoulders tense he opened the box.

When he finally looked down at the contents his body relaxed all at once even as his eyebrows drew in in confusion.

"What is this?" He asked as he lifted out some of the papers.

"Ticket stubs from every movie and play we've gone to together. Every slightly flirty email exchange, every…." Sokka paused his list to clasp his shaking hands together, "every poem I've written about you." He confessed quietly. 

Zuko gave him a startled look before unfolding one of bits of paper. He read in silence for a moment, his expression unreadable.

"You're saying you're in love with me" it was less a question and more a statement.

Sokka closed his eyes.

"Yes."

"And you didn't tell me why?" Which was a fair question.

"I didn't think you felt the same." Sokka admitted opening his eyes.

Zuko stared at him before flopping back onto the floor with his arms spread wide.

"Zuko!?" Sokka put his hands flat on the table and pushed up so he could see Zuko who immediately hid his bright red face with the hand still holding onto the poem.

"Mai was right. We're both idiots." Zuko mumbled.

Sokka felt his shoulders relax.

"So you believe me?"

Zuko peeked at Sokka from around the paper, a shy smile on his face.

"Uh I kinda have to! Who knew you were such a sappy dork!" But Zuko looked too happy to be annoyed as he sat up and fondly smoothed out the wrinkles from the poem.

Sokka moved around the table to sit pressed up against Zuko.

"Well someone cute brings it out of me." He said as he leaned into Zuko whose blush deepened.

"I'm not cute." He protested.

"I beg to differ. I think my boyfriend is the cutest!" Sokka wished he could capture that smile and put it in his Zuko box along with everything else he loved about this man.

"Boyfriend huh?" Zuko said leaning back into Sokka "I like the sound of that." 

"Good because I plan to use that word a lot because I am ridiculously in love with you." Sokka just managed to get out before Zuko tackled him to the carpet with a kiss.

Not that Sokka was complaining.

Aang let himself into Zuko's through the back. It was safer to leave his bike in the back garden then it was out front and Iroh always left a key under the flowerpot outside for Aang for that reason. 

It was surprisingly quiet when he got in. He thought at first that Zuko wasn't home yet but when he got to the living room he realised how wrong he was. 

He took a moment and then decided that movie night was probably canceled and decided to leave without disturbing the happy couple. 

Aang was in the alleyway behind Zuko's garden before he sent the message to the group chat and cycled away as fast as he could in case the boys noticed it. 

It was a picture of Sokka and Zuko with Zuko sitting on Sokka's lap as the two of them kissed.

Underneath it was a caption that read:

"So it looks like they finally figured it out. Just thought you should know" 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this was born because I was thinking that out of the two of them Zuko is the type to blurt out his feelings with no filter and Sokka would be the one who actually struggles to confess his feelings for Zuko
> 
> But also canonically he opens up to Zuko better and I wanted that in play
> 
> Also a minor feature in this that I might expand at some point in another fic but Aro Suki makes sense to me. I always felt like her and Sokka were fun together but I don't see romance between them as something she particularly wants or needs and as someone who is arospec I really enjoy exploring that with characters
> 
> I like to think she and Sokka dated until she realised she was aro and that she wanted different things. 
> 
> She and Toph are now living their best aromantic lives together and kind of terrify the rest of their friend group by pure physical power alone


End file.
